(b) Applying for someone who cannot apply for some other reason. We may ask why the applicant is unable to apply on their own behalf.

(4) A person or agency may apply for aged, blind, or disabled (ABD) cash for you if:

(a) You temporarily live out-of-state; and

(b) You are a Washington state resident.

(5) When you are confined or incarcerated in a Washington state public institution, you may apply for cash if you meet the following criteria:

(a) You are confined by or in the following public institutions:

(i) Department of corrections;

(ii) City or county jail; or

(iii) Institution for mental diseases (IMD).

(b) Staff at the public institution provide medical records including diagnosis by a mental health professional that you have a mental disorder (as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders, most recent edition) that affects your thoughts, mood or behavior so severely that it prevents you from performing any kind of work.

388-406-0010How do I apply for cash assistance or basic food benefits?

(1) You can apply for cash assistance or basic food by giving us an application form in person, by mail, by fax, or by completing an online application.

(2) You can file an application for basic food at the local Social Security Administration district office (SSADO) if your entire assistance unit (AU) gets or is applying for supplemental security income (SSI).

(3) A legal guardian, caretaker, or authorized representative can apply for you if you are incapacitated, a dependent child, or cannot apply for benefits on your own for some other reason.

(4) You can apply for cash assistance or basic food with one application form.

(5) We accept your application on the same day if you apply for benefits at a local office.

(6) We accept your application for benefits if it has at least:

(a) For cash assistance, the name, address, and signatures of the responsible adult AU members or person applying for you. A minor child may sign if there is no adult in the AU. Signatures must be handwritten, electronic, or digital as defined by the department, or a mark if witnessed by another person.

(b) For basic food, the name, address, and signature of a responsible member of your AU or person applying for you as an authorized representative under WAC 388-460-0005. Signatures must be handwritten, electronic, or digital as defined by the department, or a mark if witnessed by another person.

388-406-0012What is the date of my application and how does it affect my benefits?

The date of your application affects when your benefits start. The date of your application is the date any field office receives your application unless:

(1) Your entire assistance unit gets or applies for supplemental security income (SSI) and applies for Basic Food at the local Social Security office. The date of application is the date Social Security gets your application; or

(2) You apply outside of normal business hours, including applications you submitted online, dropped off, or sent to us by fax. The date of your application is the next business day.

(3) You request Basic Food benefits when you have applied for benefits through another department program, but we have not made a decision on the application. We call this a "pending application." If you ask for Basic Food benefits when you have a pending application for another program:

(a) We use your application for the other program, but we use the date you requested food benefits as your date of application for Basic Food; and

(b) You must provide us the necessary information to determine if you are eligible for Basic Food, even if we did not need this information for the other program.

388-406-0015May I get basic food right away?

(1) When the department gets your basic food application, we look at your circumstances at the time you applied to see if you may get basic food benefits within seven calendar days. This is called "expedited service."

(2) To get expedited service, you must provide proof of who you are and meet one of the following conditions:

(a) Have gross monthly income (before taxes), minus exclusions as defined in WAC 388-450-0015, of under one hundred fifty dollars and have available liquid resources as defined in WAC 388-470-0055 of one hundred dollars or less;

(b) Have gross monthly income (before taxes), minus exclusions as defined in WAC 388-450-0015, plus available liquid resources as defined in WAC 388-470-0055 of less than your total shelter costs (rent or mortgage and the utility allowance you are eligible for under WAC 388-450-0195); or

(c) Be a destitute migrant or seasonal farm worker household under WAC 388-406-0021, and your household's available liquid resources as defined in WAC 388-470-0055 is one hundred dollars or less.

(3) If you are eligible for expedited service and are not required to have an office interview under WAC 388-452-0005, you may have a telephone interview and still get benefits within seven days.

(4) If you are applying for basic food, "day one" of your seven-day expedited service period starts on the:

(a) Day after the date you filed your application;

(b) Date you are released from a public institution; or

(c) Date of your interview if you:

(i) Waived your expedited interview and we decide you are eligible for expedited service during your rescheduled interview; or

(ii) Were screened as ineligible for expedited service and we later determine you are eligible for the service during your interview.

(5) If you get expedited service, we only require verification of your identity to provide your first benefit issuance within seven days. Other required verifications may be postponed.

(6) All postponed verification must be provided for your ongoing eligibility to be determined and any additional benefits to issue. If you applied:

(a) On or before the 15th of the month, we issue one month's benefits and you have up to thirty days from the date of application to give us any postponed verification; or

(b) On or after the 16th of the month, we issue two months' benefits and you have until the end of the second month to give us any postponed verification.

(7) If we may determine ongoing eligibility at your interview and do not need to postpone any required verifications, we will assign you a regular certification period as described in WAC 388-416-0005.

(8) If you have received expedited service in the past, you can get this service again if you meet the requirements listed in subsection (2) of this subsection and you:

(a) Gave us all the information we needed to determine ongoing eligibility for your last expedited service benefit period; or

(b) Were certified under normal processing standards after your last expedited certification.

(9) If you reapply for benefits:

(a) Before your certification period ends, you are not eligible for expedited service;

(b) After your certification period ends, your seven-day expedited service period is the same as a new application;

(c) While you receive transitional food assistance as described in chapter 388-489 WAC, you are not eligible for expedited service.

(10) If you are denied expedited service, you may ask for a department review of our decision. We review the decision within two working days.

388-406-0021How does being a migrant or seasonal farmworker affect my application for basic food?

The rules in this section apply to Basic Food assistance.

(1) A migrant farmworker is a person who travels away from home on a regular basis, usually with a group of other workers, to seek employment in an agriculturally related activity. A migrant assistance unit is an assistance unit that travels for this purpose.

(2) A migrant assistance unit (AU) is an AU that travels for this purpose.

(3) A seasonal farmworker is a person who:

(a) Does agricultural work on a farm for edible crops; and

(b) Is not required to be away from their permanent place of residence overnight in order to perform this work.

(4) Agricultural work is field work in either planting, cultivating, or harvesting a crop.

(5) We consider your AU a seasonal farmworker AU if it receives its only countable income from:

(a) Seasonal farmwork;

(b) Unemployment compensation between seasons; or

(c) Interest your AU earns on a checking or savings account.

(6) Your migrant or seasonal farmworker is destitute if:

(a) Your AU received your income for the month of application before the date you applied for benefits and the source of this income no longer provides income; or

(b) Your AU's income for the month of application is from a new source and your AU will not receive more than twenty-five dollars during the ten calendar days from the date you applied for benefits.

(7) If someone in your AU changes jobs but still works for the same employer, we consider them to be receiving income from the same source.

(8) If your AU is a migrant or seasonal farmworker AU, and your certification period ends, we do not prorate your benefits for the first month of your new certification period unless your certification period ended more than a month before you turned in your application to recertify your benefits.

(9) If your migrant or seasonal farmworker AU is destitute:

(a) We may exclude some of your income for the month you applied for benefits under WAC 488-450-0230 [ 388-450-0230]; and

(b) We budget your AU's income for the month you applied for benefits using the anticipating monthly method under WAC 388-450-0215.

388-406-0030Do I need to submit other information after I apply for benefits?

(1) When we get your application for benefits, we decide if other information is needed to determine your eligibility for benefits. If so, we give you:

(a) A written request for what is needed and for proof if required under WAC 388-490-0005; and

(b) At least ten calendar days to give us the information.

(2) If you ask orally or in writing for additional time to give us requested information, then we give you at least ten additional calendar days.

(3) If your application is delayed beyond time limits under WAC 388-406-0040, and we can't determine your eligibility, we deny your application for benefits.

(4) If you give us some of the information we requested in subsection (1) above, but we can't determine if you are eligible, we allow you more time to turn in the rest of the information unless you are refusing to cooperate. We give you:

(a) A written request for what is still needed to determine eligibility; and

(b) At least ten more calendar days to give us the information.

(5) If we deny your application and you meet the conditions described under WAC 388-406-0065, we will reconsider your eligibility for benefits without requiring a new application.

(6) If you are eligible for necessary supplemental accommodation (NSA) services under chapter 388-472 WAC, we help you comply with the requirements of this section.

388-406-0035How long does the department have to process my application?

(1) We must process your application as quickly as possible. We must respond promptly to your application and to any information you give us. We cannot delay processing your request by using the time limits stated in this section as a waiting period for determining eligibility.

(a) If you are applying for aged, blind, or disabled (ABD) cash assistance, or a referral to the housing and essential needs (HEN) program, we must process your application within forty-five calendar days unless there is good cause as described in WAC 388-406-0045.

(3) For calculating time limits, "day one" is the date following the date:

(a) The department received your application for benefits under WAC 388-406-0010;

(b) Social Security gets a request for food benefits from a Basic Food assistance unit in which all members either get or are applying for supplemental security income (SSI);

(c) You are released from an institution if you get or are authorized to get SSI and request Basic Food through Social Security prior to your release.

388-406-0040What happens if the processing of my application is delayed?

(1) We process your application for benefits as soon as possible. We do not intentionally delay processing your application for benefits for any reason. If we have enough information to decide eligibility for Basic Food, we promptly process your request for benefits even if we need more information to determine eligibility for cash.

(2) If you have completed your required interview under WAC 388-452-0005 and we have enough information to determine eligibility, then we promptly process your application even if it is after thirty days from the date of your application.

(3) If additional information is needed to determine eligibility, we give you:

(a) A written request for the additional information; and

(b) An additional thirty days to provide the information.

(4) If you fail to keep or reschedule your interview in the first thirty calendar days after filing your application, your application will be denied on the thirtieth day, or the first business day after the thirtieth day. If you are still interested in Basic Food benefits, you will need to reapply. Benefits will be based on your second application date.

(5) If we have not processed your application for Basic Food by the sixtieth day and:

(a) You are responsible for the delay, we deny your request for benefits.

(b) If we are responsible for the delay, we:

(i) Promptly process your request if we have the information needed to determine eligibility; or

(ii) Deny your request if we don't have enough information to determine eligibility. If we deny your request, we notify you of your right to file a new application and that you may be entitled to benefits lost.

(6) If you reapply for Basic Food by the sixtieth day of your first application, met your interview requirements under WAC 388-452-0005, and are eligible, we start your benefits from:

(a) The date of your first application, if we caused the delay in the first thirty days; or

(b) The date we have enough information to make an eligibility decision, if you caused the delay in the first thirty days.

388-406-0045Is there a good reason my application for cash assistance has not been processed?

If your application for cash assistance is not processed within the time limits under WAC 388-406-0035, the department must decide if there is a good reason for the delay. This good reason is also called "good cause."

(1) We do not have a good reason for not processing your application for TANF or SFA within thirty days if:

(a) We did not give or send you a notice of what information we needed to determine your eligibility within twenty days from the date of your application;

(b) We did not give or send you a notice that we needed additional information or action within five calendar days of the date we learned that more information was needed to determine eligibility;

(c) We did not process your application within five calendar days from getting the information needed to decide eligibility; and

(d) We decide good cause exists but do not document our decision in the case record on or before the time limit for processing the application ends.

(2) We do have a good reason for not processing your application timely if:

(a) You do not give us the information or take an action needed for us to determine eligibility;

(b) We have an emergency beyond our control; or

(c) There is no other available verification for us to determine eligibility and the eligibility decision depends on information that has been delayed such as:

(i) Medical documentation;

(ii) For cash assistance, extensive property appraisals; or

(iii) Out-of-state documents or correspondence.

(3) For aged, blind, or disabled (ABD) cash assistance, or a referral to the housing and essential needs (HEN) program, good cause exists if you apply when you are confined in a Washington state public institution as defined in WAC 388-406-0005 (6)(a).

388-406-0055When do my benefits start?

The date we approve your application affects the amount of benefits you get. If you are eligible for:

(1) TANF or SFA cash assistance, your benefits start:

(a) The date we have enough information to make an eligibility decision; or

(b) No later than the thirtieth day from the date of application; or

(c) Once you have completed the WorkFirst orientation if required under WAC 388-400-0005(2) or 388-400-0010(3), back to the date we received all other information needed to determine eligibility.

(2) PWA or RCA cash assistance, your benefits start:

(a) The date we have enough information to make an eligibility decision; or

(b) No later than the thirtieth day from the date of application.

(3) ABD cash assistance, your benefits start:

(a) The date we have enough information to make an eligibility decision; or

(b) No later than the forty-fifth day from the date of application unless:

(i) You are confined in a Washington state public institution as defined in WAC 388-406-0005 (6)(a) on the forty-fifth day, in which case your benefits will start on the date you are released from confinement; or

(ii) You are approved for ABD cash assistance at the time of your housing and essential needs (HEN) referral incapacity review as described in WAC 388-447-0110, in which case your benefits will start on the date you provided sufficient medical evidence to establish disability as defined in WAC 388-449-0001.

(4) Basic Food, your benefits start from the date you applied unless:

(a) You are recertified for Basic Food. If you are recertified for Basic Food, we determine the date your benefits start under WAC 388-434-0010;

(b) You applied for Basic Food while living in an institution. If you apply for Basic Food while living in an institution, the date you are released from the institution determines your start date as follows. If you are expected to leave the institution:

(i) Within thirty days of the date we receive your application, your benefits start on the date you leave the institution; or

(ii) More than thirty days from the date we receive your application, we deny your application for Basic Food. You may apply for Basic Food again when your date of release from the institution is closer.

(c) We were unable to process your application within thirty days because of a delay on your part. If you caused the delay, but submit required verification by the end of the second thirty-day period, we approve your benefits starting the date you provide the required verification. We start your benefits from this date even if we denied your application for Basic Food.

(d) We initially denied your application for Basic Food and your assistance unit (AU) becomes categorically eligible (CE) within sixty days from the date you applied. If your AU becoming CE under WAC 388-414-0001 makes you eligible for Basic Food, the date we approve Basic Food is the date your AU became CE.

(e) You are approved for transitional food assistance under chapter 388-489 WAC. We determine the date transitional benefits start as described under WAC 388-489-0015.

(f) You receive transitional food assistance with people you used to live with, and are now approved to receive Basic Food in a different assistance unit:

(i) We must give the other assistance unit ten days notice as described under WAC 388-458-0025 before we remove you from the transitional food assistance benefits.

(ii) Your Basic Food benefits start the first of the month after we remove you from the transitional benefits. For example, if we remove you from transitional benefits on November 30th, you are eligible for Basic Food on December 1st.

388-406-0060What happens when my application is denied?

(a) You do not show for your interview appointment for cash or Basic Food if required under WAC 388-452-0005, you have not rescheduled, and your application is over thirty days old; or

(b) We do not have the information we need to determine your eligibility within ten days of requesting the information from your assistance unit (AU) under WAC 388-490-0005, and you did not ask for additional time to give us the information; or

(c) Your entire AU does not meet certain eligibility criteria to get benefits; or

(d) For Basic Food, your application has not been processed by the sixtieth day because of a delay on your part.

(2) If we deny your application, you do not get benefits unless:

(a) You mistakenly apply for benefits you already get; or

(b) We reconsider your eligibility under WAC 388-406-0065 and you are eligible to get benefits.

(3) We can reconsider if you are eligible for benefits under the requirements of WAC 388-406-0065 even after your application is denied.

(4) We give or send a letter to you explaining why your application was denied as required under WAC 388-458-0011.

(5) If you disagree with our decision about your application, you can ask for a fair hearing. If we deny your application because we do not have enough information to decide that you are eligible, the hearing issue is whether you are eligible using:

388-406-0065Can I still get benefits even after my application is denied?

(1) If we (the department) deny your application for benefits, we can redetermine your eligibility for benefits without a new application if:

(a) For cash, you give us the information we need within thirty days from the date we denied your application;

(b) You stop participating as required to reopen cash assistance under WAC 388-310-1600(12) due to one of the good reasons described in WAC 388-310-1600(3) or because you get an excused absence, as described in WAC 388-310-0500(5);

(c) For Basic Food, you give us the information we need within sixty days of the date you applied for benefits.

(2) If you are eligible for cash or Basic Food, we decide the date your benefits start according to WAC 388-406-0055. For all programs the eligibility date is based on the date of your original application that was denied.